I am Really a Superstar

The Japanese comics world was in disarray.

The entire industry had been shaken up.

At a small comics magazine publisher, a rookie cartoonist had come for an interview to submit his manuscript.

“Editor, please have a look at this.”

“Alright, let me see.”

“Uh, is it OK?”

“It’s not too bad.”

“Th-Then can my work get serialized?”

“How many chapters can you update per week?”

“Ah?”

“Can you update at three chapters a week?”

“Nani?!”

“If you can’t do three chapters, how about two?”

In the end, the rookie cartoonist walked out of the comic publishing studio in tears. Update three chapters a week? Two chapters? Even one chapter a week is already asking for my life! Who can fucking do three chapters a week!

Uh…other than those three lunatics!

Those three cartoonists are simply not human!

Aoi.

Ozawa.

Hatano.

Their blazing speed of release every week had whetted the readers’ appetites and disrupted the rhythm of all the comics magazine publishers. It had muddied the waters of the Japanese comics world. Many of the comics magazine publishers these days were adding all kinds of new regulations when taking in submissions of manuscripts. They wouldn’t accept cartoonists who drew too slowly and were looking for them to hit at least two or three chapters per week to qualify. It was easy to set these rules, but how many people in the entire comics world could fucking draw two chapters a week, much less three!

The readers were raising a ruckus.

“Hurry up and update the chapters!”

“This is so slow!”

“Martial King, can you make it?”

“There’s only one chapter per week? Are you sleeping or what?”

“To the author of Yuki-chan’s Dormitory, don’t you feel embarrassed publishing just one chapter per week? Can you not be so lazy?”

Of course, there were some who didn’t think that they couldn’t do it.

For example, there was an author from POO Studios who clenched his teeth and increased his speed to two chapters a week. During the first week, everything still seemed pretty normal. But by the second week, that author was hospitalized and remained undischarged as of now. Then, there was a cartoonist from Shōnen Publishing who also tried to keep up with the pace of the times. Envious of One Piece, Naruto, and Detective Conan’s success, he set off on a path of no return by releasing two chapters per week. By the second week, his comic’s plot had fallen apart. It fell apart so badly that it became unrecognizable. It was such an earth-shattering failure that the protagonist’s development had been written into a corner!

Chaos!

The entire industry could only be described as chaotic!

A lot of cartoonists started coming forward to denounce this trend.

“It was all started by them!”

“The readers have all gone crazy because of them!”

“We cannot allow such disruptive behavior to continue and mess up the industry any further!”

“Everyone, let’s boycott this trend together!”

“Right, how can you demand speed when it comes to drawing comics!”

“Those three people are exceptions. No one else can do what they’re doing!”

“That’s right, there can’t be another fourth person who can do three chapters a week!”

“Bring the comics industry back on track!”

Many cartoonists joined the cause.

Some cartoonists and rookies even held up signs in demonstration outside the entrances of the comics magazine publishers.

On this day, the readers and cartoonists went to war.

The two groups of people were quarreling over their disagreements.

Regarding whether a comic should have more releases per week, and whether it was possible to do so, everyone was trying to debate this to reach a conclusion. Finally, the industry insiders and editors calmed down a little and joined in the discussions. Everyone brought up a lot of examples, like the production process of a comic series, the time required to do it, the number of assistants required to work on it, the ideas, the drafts, etc., all of which were to support the argument that drawing comics was not a task that could be rushed. It was a very time-consuming job, and it was impossible to finish drawing without putting in the effort to do so. Meanwhile, they claimed that those three crazy cartoonists were just an exception. People like them had never appeared in the past, and they were not likely to appear in the future. It was just a coincidence that these three speedy types had somehow gotten their comics serialized at almost the same time, so what they could do was not really something that any other cartoonist could achieve.

Only then did the readers reluctantly accept their reasoning.

The Japanese cartoonists could finally heave a sigh of relief.

The unhealthy obsession with increasing the weekly release rate finally began to ease off.

…

But right at this critical juncture.

China.

In Zhang Ye’s neighborhood.

Zhang Ye, who was coming back from grocery shopping, heard the neighbors talking.

They were two housewives.

“I’ve got nothing to do at home recently, so I got into watching cartoons.”

“Me too, I watched Detective Conan.”

“It’s pretty good, but I always have to wait for the kids to go to bed before watching.”

“Yeah, I’m the same. My child is only seven years old, so I dare not let him watch a cartoon where there’s always someone dying. I don’t feel that’s a good influence on kids.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Zhang Ye listened and took it to heart. Right, there are children to consider as well. Whoever said that children cannot contribute to his popularity? Don’t look down on these young kids. In an Asian family, the children are the ones who enjoy the most elevated status in a family unit. Every parent sees their child as the center of their world. If your children liked watching something, would you as the parent not watch it together with them? He had to win the hearts of the children and at the same time capture the hearts of their parents!

He returned home.

In the drawing studio, he let out a shout.

“Come on out!”

“Doraemon!”

…

That same night.

Old Wu’s parents came over.

While chatting, Li Qinqin laughed and said, “It seems that cartoons are getting pretty popular these days. There are so many people I know watching them.”

Wu Zeqing smiled and looked at Zhang Ye. Then she said to her parents, “Did the two of you watch any?”

Wu Changhe harrumphed. “Those things are full of Japanese elements. Who wants to watch it?”

Li Qinqin added, “Right, we still prefer something with our Chinese elements in it.”

Right!

Chinese elements!

Zhang Ye stood up and walked off.

The two elders were taken aback.

But soon after, a shout came from the drawing studio upstairs!

“Come on out!”

” Dragon Ball ¹ !”

Li Qinqin was dumbfounded. “What happened to him?”

Wu Changhe was bewildered. “Has that kid gone crazy?”

Wu Zeqing just smiled.

…

The next day.

In the morning.

Zhang Ye was woken up by a sound outside.

“Pass it to me, pass it to me!”

“Catch!”

“Shoot it!”

“Hahaha.”

Several kids were outside playing basketball.

Zhang Ye’s sleepiness instantly disappeared as his eyes lit up. Oh yes, how could I have forgotten about sports comics? The upcoming wave needed the greatest potential, so no details could be missed!

In the drawing studio.

Zhang Ye shouted!

“Come on out!”

“Slam Dunk!”

In the bedroom.

The sound of the basketball game outside did not wake Wu Zeqing up, the sound of Zhang Ye getting out of bed did not wake Wu Zeqing up, but this loud shout of Zhang Ye’s woke Wu Zeqing right up!

…

Noon.

It was time for lunch.

Zhang Ye and Old Wu were chatting as they watched television. The topic on TV was touching on the recent wave of cartoons in Japan.

The host was saying, “Japanese cartoons are moving fast and furious these days as the past two months saw the emergence of many exciting works. In the past, almost every genre of Japanese cartoons has had a representative title to call its own, except for the sci-fi genre. The cartoons’ influence in the Asian region is widespread and has already triggered a phenomenal amount of discussions.”

Eh?

Zhang Ye raised his head, startled.

Except for the sci-fi genre?

There wasn’t a national cartoon to represent sci-fi comics in this world?

Hey, how could that be allowed!

This bro has them!

However many you guys want!

Without even finishing lunch, Zhang Ye threw down his chopsticks and hurried upstairs to the drawing studio.

Wu Zeqing knew that he was busy with work, so she didn’t stop him.

Soon after, Zhang Ye’s loud voice reverberated from upstairs!

“Come on out!”

“Gundam!”